Student’s window-washing business gets help from BioLinc

Posted by tmayer
on Jun 10th, 2013 and filed under Gallery, Top stories.
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Brock student and wrestler Kyle Rose has launched an eco-friendly window washing business that employs Brock students. Business incubator BioLinc is helping Rose's business to get established.

At first glance, the world of wrestling would appear to have nothing in common with a window washing business, except that maybe big muscles come in handy when carrying around ladders.

But in the sports world, there’s something called the golden standard, a level of excellence maintained by high-performance athletes. Fourth year student Kyle Rose - wrestler, budding entrepreneur and one of BioLinc’s newest business partners - applies that principle to his fledgling window washing business, Golden Rose Enterprises.

“Having represented Canada nationally and internationally, the members of Golden Rose Enterprises appreciate and embody the golden standard,” says Rose.

“The one thing we pride ourselves on is that you can tell the difference between the high-performance athlete and the average athlete. There’s a certain standout confidence and presentation in the high-performance athlete,” he explains. “I believe the same is true in a good business and in a good home. We help bring businesses and homes up to that golden standard.”

The golden standard in Golden Rose Enterprises relies on the use of a popular green technology in which natural chemical processes purify the water that’s used to wash solar panels, windows, eves, siding and other surfaces.

Essentially, tap water is connected to a water purification system that has two different filters, each performing reverse osmosis and de-ionizing, which strips the water of total dissolved solids.

The purified water becomes partly acidic so that once it comes into contact with the dirty surface, the surface is left clean and with no streaks.

“We provide before and after pictures of the windows and eves so that customers can literally see the difference,” says Rose.

Rose met his business adviser through the Blueprint Business Plan Competition, a program created last year by the Brock University Students’ Union to help student entrepreneurs turn their ideas into successful businesses. The 22-year-old made the Top 10 of the program’s contest.

Rose developed the business in consultation with his adviser, acquiring the water purification technology in the process. Rose then met BioLinc manager Dan Lynch, who took on Golden Rose Enterprises as a startup company for the business incubator to assist.

“Kyle’s use of ultra pure water instead of chemicals is a great environmentally friendly technology approach that is an excellent fit with BioLinc’s interest in all things bio-related, including clean tech, green tech and environment sustainability,” says Lynch.

Golden Rose Enterprises has a desk in BioLinc’s office on the ground floor of the Cairns Family Health and Bioscience Research Complex, which Rose says is an invaluable contact point with clients.

Rose and others in BioLinc also receive mentoring, business advice, access to Goodman School of Business consultants and Brock researchers, and networking opportunities where they can meet fellow innovative entrepreneurs.

Since its inception last year, Golden Rose Enterprises has hired two student athletes and has a client base of private homes, car dealerships and a student residence. The company is looking to expand to retirement homes, hotels and other locations.

“I would advise a person wanting to start a business to have goals, not be hesitant or feel like their circumstances might hold them back, to use their strengths as strengths and their weaknesses as opportunities to grow,” offers Rose.